Chapter 1

Ella watched as Aaron and Emme played together in the yard. Their bond as twins made them inseparable. She always enjoyed watching them work together, two halves of a whole. Her face turned sad, though, as she continued to watch them.

They looked so much like their father.

Aaron had dark hair and green eyes just like Adam, while Emme had gotten Ella’s curly red hair. Her eyes contained a bit of brown like Ella’s, but in truth, Emme’s eyes mostly resembled her father’s green eyes. While Aaron’s complexion was unmarred by any flaws, Emme’s face was speckled with freckles, just like Ella’s. Both of the twins had the same copper-toned skin as their father. Ella sighed, knowing she shouldn’t have kept them from Adam for so long, but the pain was still fresh even after these five years on her own.

Ella’s eyes moved from her two wonderful children to the cell phone she still held in her hand. She had just ended a call from her father. He had news that she never had wanted to hear: Adam was injured and wasn’t healing, dying. She knew it was her fault his body refused to mend the old wound; rejecting one’s mate can not only impact a person’s emotions, but also cause physical repercussions.

She thought back on her conversation with her father.

“Hi, Dad, what’s up?”

“Ella, honey…” There was a pause on the other end of the phone and Ella’s countenance dropped at the tone of his voice. Something was wrong.

“What is it?” she asked, probing for answers she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear.

“It’s Adam.”

Ella nearly dropped her phone at the mention of her mate. Even after all these years, she couldn’t deny she still had feelings for him. She had shoved them deep down after what he’d done, refusing to acknowledge them.

“Ella, he’s not doing well at all. You need to come back home. Your mate needs you, your pack needs you. Only you can make our Alpha strong again.”

“I’m not ready to come back, Dad. I’m not sure I can ever forgive him for what he’s done.”

Ella could hear him sigh through the phone.

“I know he hurt you after Orion’s attack on the pack, but Adam has changed. He’s not that man anymore. He just wants to see you.”

Ella sighed, unsure whether to believe her father’s words. She couldn’t shake the pain that remained in her broken heart. Ella’s father could sense her hesitation.

“Hon, I know it’s hard to think about coming back. If it makes it any easier, you and the kids are welcome to stay with us when you get back to the compound.”

A small smile spread on Ella’s lips. She knew her father wouldn’t ask her to come back without cause. And she appreciated his offer to stay with him and mom, knowing full well it would put her at ease not having to share close quarters with Adam right off the bat. She was about to reply when her dad spoke again.

“Y’know, he doesn’t even have a clue about Aaron and Emme. He deserves to know. Both of them are future leaders of this pack.”

Ella sighed. She knew all too well.

“Okay, Dad, I’ll leave in the morning.”

“I’m proud of you, Ella. See you tomorrow.”

“See you then,” she replied before hanging up.

Ella’s eyes returned to her two children. She sighed reluctantly. Just as Adam knew nothing of them, they knew nothing of him. She didn’t know how she was going to prepare them to meet their father. She didn’t even know what kind of man he had become in the five years she had been gone. She was all they had.

Adam could be one more person to love them, but what if he hurt them as he had hurt her? She didn’t want to put them through that kind of pain. She was meant to protect them. But her father was right — Adam deserved to know he had heirs to the pack.

The kitchen timer went off and Ella moved to silence it. She opened the window and yelled out to her children.

“Aaron. Emme. Dinner time!”

They looked up from their game and turned toward the house. “Okay, Mom!” they called in unison, scrambling up and running inside.

“Make sure to wash your hands!” Ella called to them as they charged toward the table.

With exasperated sighs, the twins headed in the opposite direction toward the bathroom to wash their hands before supper.

Ella loaded three plates with the meal she had prepared and placed each of them on the table. She filled the three glasses with water and sat down just in time for Aaron and Emme to return. Their eyes lit up as they saw what was for dinner.

“Mini Meatball Sammies!” their voices rang out together.

Ella’s mouth curved into a grin. She loved how their little faces lit up at the simplest of things. The twins picked up their food and gobbled it right up. She turned to her own meatball sliders, savoring the fantastic flavor of the sauce on her tongue.

Later, Ella drew them a bath while they went to their room to pick out their outfits for the next day, laying them out gently on their respective chairs. Emme liked to dress her chair as if it was herself. She put the shirt on the back and laid the pants on the seat. She had chosen a flowery short-sleeve shirt with matching hot-pink leggings as her outfit for the next day. Aaron grabbed a t-shirt with dinosaurs speckled across it and some navy shorts. He folded them nicely on the seat of his chair.

The twins then stuffed their old clothes into the hamper in the hallway on their way to the bathtub, which stood waiting for them, already filled with warm water and bubbles. A few toys were scattered throughout the water. They climbed in at the same time and immediately began to play together.

Ella sighed happily as she watched them together. It seemed only yesterday she had been changing their diapers and worrying about every single thing. Being a single mother was hard, but at times like these, it was so worth it.

After their bath, Ella got Aaron and Emme ready for bed. She read them a story and tucked them in, kissing each kid goodnight. She turned off the light as she left their room.

Sighing, Ella strode over to the closet where she kept the suitcases. She brushed off the dust that had collected on them and started filling one with clean clothes, and another with essentials for her children. She still wasn’t sure how she’d explain it all to her children in the morning.

Ella had a hard time falling asleep. She hadn’t seen Adam in so long, she wasn’t sure what would happen when they met again. What if he’d moved on? Or worse, what if he hadn’t?